Many off-road vehicles and sport-utility vehicles (e.g., Jeep, Bronco, Tahoe, Hummer) have a spare tire mounted on the rear or side of the vehicle. It is sometimes desirable to mount a gas can or other equipment onto the spare tire and/or the spare tire support member. For example, Con-Ferr Manufacturing Company, Inc. of Burbank, Calif. sells a gas-can-holder bracket designed for attaching a gas can to an exterior of a vehicle. Con-Ferr also sells an intermediate bracket that is designed for fastening the gas-can-holder bracket to a spare tire support member on a vehicle. FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrates a prior art intermediate bracket 20, such as those sold by Con-Ferr. The prior art intermediate bracket 20 has two parts 21, 22, which are adapted to fit together as shown in FIG. 2. A first part 21 has stud holes 24 adapted to mount on a spare tire support member (not shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, but see e.g., FIG. 3 discussed below). A second part 22 has attachment holes 26 adapted to be aligned with attachment holes in a gas-can-holder bracket (not shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, but shown in FIG. 3 discussed below). Each part 21, 22 has a channel portion 28 with a U-shaped cross-section.
One of the drawbacks to the prior art intermediate bracket 20 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is that the channel portions 28 are too large to fit though the center hole of some wheels, such as factory alloy wheels. Often, factory alloy wheels (i.e., aluminum alloy OEM wheels available from the car manufacturer/dealer) have a much smaller diameter center hole than aftermarket alloy wheels or custom wheels. Hence, there is a need for an intermediate bracket that can fit through the center hole of a larger variety of wheels, including factory alloy wheels, for example.
Also, the length of the channel portions 28 on the prior art intermediate bracket 20 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are often too long for some applications. For example, some factory alloy wheels are narrower than many of the aftermarket custom wheels. The prior art intermediate bracket 20 may be shortened by cutting off end portions from the channel portions. However, doing so may require the use of specialized tools and it is a permanent modification to the intermediate bracket 20. Furthermore, having the prior art intermediate bracket 20 assembled at its maximum length is not as structurally stable as a shorter assembly (as in FIG. 2). Thus, it would be highly desirable to have an intermediate bracket that provides more versatility in lengths, without compromising the structural integrity and without requiring special tools or permanent modifications.
Referring to FIG. 2, the fastener bolt 30 may become loose, or even come off, due to excessive vibrations, which are not uncommon on off-road vehicles or vehicles having off-road tires. If this fastener bolt 30 becomes loose or comes off, the assembly of the intermediate bracket 20 becomes structurally unstable and the channel portions 28 are permitted to move relative to each other. Hence, a gas can held by an attached gas-can-holder bracket is able to move relative to the spare tire support member. The safety concerns of a five gallon gas can, for example, shaking or shifting position on the exterior of a vehicle, or even falling off while the vehicle is moving, are serious. Thus, a need exists for a more secure and structurally stable method of securing a gas can, for example, (or any other container) to a spare tire support member.